 About the USA is a digital collection of background resources on american society, culture, and political processes. In addition to featuring selected websites, it provides access to documents in full text format (E-Texts) on topics ranging from the history of German-American relations, government and politics to travel, holidays and sports. About the USA is maintained by the Information Resource Centers/U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany. usa.usembassy.de
In Focus: American Museums A major exhibit featuring 200 works from the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation opened at the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle in Bonn on July 21. A second exhibition featuring architectural models and plans of 23 projects and competitions that illustrate the development of museum architecture, as reflected in the Guggenheim’s past and present, opens in August.
 Industrialist and philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim established the Guggenheim Foundation in 1937. The German baroness Hilla Rebay shaped to a large part his art collection. She was also the driving force behind the idea of a museum to house the collection of modernist, abstract art. In 1943, Rebay contacted Frank Lloyd Wright. She perceived him to be a kindred spirit and suited to design the museum of her dreams, "a temple to non-objectivity." Rebay explained to him, "I want a museum that goes slowly up. No staircase, no interruptions.” The result can be seen on New York's Fifth Avenue. It opened in 1959. Following the tradition established by the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed museum building, Thomas Krens, director of the Guggenheim Foundation since 1988, has commissioned many of the world’s leading architects to design additional museums in Europe and the U.S. Today the Guggenheim Foundation has five locations -- in New York, Venice, Berlin, Las Vegas and Bilbao. In Bilbao, the Frank Gehry-designed museum has been credited with reviving the region's fortunes. In July 2006, it was announced that a Gehry-designed Guggenheim museum will be built in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. The combination of the Guggenheim and Abu Dhabi is an example of the global reach of the Guggenheim.
 The story of the Guggenheim is just one part of the story of American museums.
- There are an estimated 16,000 museums in the United States.
- 2.3 million people visit American museums every day. That’s 865 million visits per year, more than all ticket sales to professional baseball, football, and basketball sporting events combined.
- 1/3 of Americans have visited a museum within the past six months.
- Museums rank in the top 3 family vacation destinations
- Museums care for over 750 million objects and living specimens.
- Museums annually spend more than $1 billion to provide over 18 million hours for educational programs.
- Zoos and aquariums invest $51 million in scientific research each year
During the past century, U.S. museums have become the cultural landmarks of American society, institutions that educate, inspire, and lead their communities. 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums (AAM), the national service organization representing the American museum community.
During the twentieth century, the United States evolved a broad network of nonprofit performing and visual arts organizations, along with other nonprofit cultural organizations such as science, history and children’s museums. The funding of these organizations is broadly diversified. In 2004, earned income from ticket sales, memberships, and advertising made up 54.2% of revenue. Private sector contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations & other private comprised 24.9% of revenues. Investment income from interest, endowments accounted for 12.2%. Public funding from federal, state, and local governments accounted for 8.7%, but hidden contributions of government, particularly the federal government, to the arts are vastly greater than the level of direct subsidy. Some portion of every individual and corporate gift and every foundation grant to a cultural organization or activity would otherwise be paid in taxes to the government.
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About the USA
